Submitted by Tacoma Opera
Tacoma Opera will launch its 2014-15 Season with Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), in an exciting new production celebrating the rich Native American Salish culture of the Pacific Northwest. The opera will run for two performances at Tacoma’s historic Rialto Theater on Friday, October 31, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 2, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets start at $29 and are on sale now.
The story of the Northwest Salish peoples is one of high moral values, an impish sense of humor, and an immense respect for nature, all of which blend perfectly with the transcendent music of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. “It is an honor for us to share their story through Mozart’s timeless and universal opera, and we wish to thank members of the Puyallup Tribe for their support and cooperation in the making of this production,” stated Tacoma Opera General Director Noel Koran. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Mozart’s The Magic Flute has been produced in the United States with a unified Native American theme.” Audience members are invited to attend a pre-show lecture one hour prior to each performance that will further illuminate the themes of this unique adaptation.
With set design by well-known Tacoma public artist Douglas Granum, costumes by Elizabeth Wislar, stage direction by Noel Koran, and musical direction by Bernard Kwiram, Artistic Director of Seattle’s Gilbert & Sullivan Society, The Magic Flute promises to hold great appeal for opera fans both young and old. The cast includes several Tacoma Opera audience favorites as well as some artists making their Tacoma Opera debut.
The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) production sponsor is Key Bank. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Broadway Center Box Office at 901 Broadway in downtown Tacoma, by calling 253-591-5894, or online at www.broadwaycenter.org.
Additional cast information is as follows:
Born and raised in Tacoma, baritone Ryan Bede returns as Papageno. A former Tacoma Opera Young Artist, the baritone was last seen as the Pirate King in last season’s The Pirates of Penzance. Later in the Season, Mr. Bede will make his debut with Coeur d’Alene Opera as Sonora in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West.
Soprano Tess Altiveros, TO’s Pamina, was recently featured as Donna Elvira with the Washington Idaho Symphony in Don Giovanni, as well as in the United States premiere of Benjamin Britten’s adaptation of Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias at Vespertine Opera. She was a Tacoma Opera Young Artist in 2010 and has sung with the company in such roles as Musetta in La Bohème, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Laurette in Dr. Miracle, Galatea in My Fair Galatea.
Tenor Eric Neuville, Tamino in this production, is a Wisconsin native who joined Seattle Opera’s prestigious Young Artist Program from 2009-2011. He is a frequent artist on the Seattle Opera stage, performing Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, Guglielmo in Viva la Mamma!, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, First Priest in Die Zauberflöte, and Nathanaël in Les contes d’Hoffmann. He made his Tacoma Opera debut last season as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance.
Dramatic Coloratura Soprano Alexandra Picard is emerging as one of the most exciting sopranos in the Northwest, most notably for her portrayals of the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, having performed the role with Rogue and Willamette Concert Opera in Oregon, and with Spokane Opera. Now, Ms. Picard plays The Queen of the Night as her Tacoma Opera debut.
The role of Sarastro, the Priest of the Temple of Wisdom, one of the premiere bass roles in opera will be sung by Seattleite Craig Grayson. This bass made his debut with Tacoma Opera in 2005 as the Sacristan in Tosca and has returned to perform with the company numerous times, the last being in 2009 as Sulpice in the company’s production of La Fille du Regiment.
The roles of the Three Ladies will be sung by soprano Christina Kowalski, making her Tacoma Opera debut, and returning artists mezzo-soprano Jordan McClellan and soprano Sarah Mattox.
Perennial Tacoma Opera audience favorite, baritone Barry Johnson, returns for this production in a new role as The Speaker of the Temple. Mr. Johnson’s last experience with Tacoma Opera in The Magic Flute was in 1992, when he sang the role of Papageno to great critical and audience acclaim.
Cover photo courtesy of Chip Van Gilder.